Legacy Venture, a Palo Alto based peer network of philanthropists, is one of the most interesting models I know. It is a venture capital fund of funds. The original concept was to give donors access to some of the highest performing venture capital funds. In return, the donors use their financial gains to support their philanthropic goals. Over time, LV has nurtured several overlapping circles of donors who rely on their peers' expertise and interests far more often than the original model anticipated. One LV partner even coined a term - "Return on Relationship." The aim of ROR is to understand and maximize the value of both peer relationships and funder/nonprofit relationships.

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Why is this blog called Philanthropy 2173?

This is a blog about the future. The year 2173 seems sufficiently far enough in the future to give us some perspective. As sure as we are of ourselves now, talking about the future - and making philanthropic investments - requires that we keep a sense of modesty and humor about what we are doing. Philanthropy is for the long-term - for the year 2173.